Elkem Solar

Elkem Solar is owned by Elkem Group, one the world's leading suppliers of silicon, with more than 110 year's of technology driven growth.

Elkem Solar’s technology enables solar energy to compete with conventional energy sources by reducing costs and emissions – without reducing the quality of the final product.

The most important component in solar cells is silicon. Using a special process, Elkem Solar in Kristiansand manufactures super-clean silicon – Elkem Solar Silicon (ESS®), which is used in solar cells. The process stands out because it uses only 25% of the energy other processes use to create solar cell products.

Elkem Solar in Kristiansand sends the solar cell silicon for processing at Elkem Solar’s department at Herøya, where it is turned into silicon blocks. The blocks are then sent on to REC Solar’s factory in Singapore and other customers in order to create solar panels. This is the world’s most environmentally-friendly solar panel value chain, with the smallest CO2 footprint.

The factory at Herøya has 70 employees, and the production process is based on the following advantages:

Synergies with the production of silicon at Elkem Solar in Kristiansand

Elkem Solar in Kristiansand and at Herøya span the part of the value chain in which Norway enjoys competitive conditions, including silicon competence, a stable energy supply and high level of automation

Good access to competence from the period with REC Wafer and other neighbouring processing industry participants

Elkem Solar was sold off from Elkem in 2015 and is now part of China National Bluestar’s solar portfolio, together with REC Solar.